Clothes line



p 15, 1959 c. J. EISERT 2,904,189

CLOTHES LINE Filed July 16, 1957 United States Patent O CLOTHES LINE Charles J. Eisert, Erie, Pa.

Application July '16, 1957, Serial No. 672,264

'3 Claims. (Cl. 211119.1)

This invention is intended to provide a normally concealed clothesline which can be conveniently mounted on bathroom walls. Such a line can be located over a bathtub where it will be useful for drip-dry fabrics. When not in use, the line is concealed in the form of a storage loop behind one of the walls between the studs. For use, the free end of the line is pulled out and anchored to another wall or even to another point on the first wall. When so anchored, a load on the line locks or wedges the line in the first wall with some part of the line still concealed in the form of a shorter storage loop.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a typical installation; Fig. 2 shows an anchor plate for the free end of the line; Fig. 3 is a section through the fixture storing the other end of the line; Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a front view of the storage fixture; and Fig. 6 is a section similar to Fig. 3 with the line locked in position for use.

In a typical installation, the storage fixture 1 is fastened to a wall 2 at one end of a bathtub 3 between the studs and the anchor plate 4 is fixed to the adjoining wall 5 at one side of the tub so the line 6 can extend diagonally across the tub and wet clothes on the line can drip into the tub. Other installations are obviously possible.

In the storage position shown in Fig. 3, a button 7 fixed to the free end 6a of the line 6 fits in a recess 7a in the fixture 1 with its flange 8 nearly flush with the front face 9 of the fixture. The fixture 1 has a rearward extension 10 projecting through the wall 2 to which the other end 6b of the line 6 is permanently fixed. In this position, the line is. completely concealed behind the wall in the form of a storage loop 11 which is held under slight tension by a weight 12 slidable on the line. In moving to this position, either the button 7 or the friction between the line 6 and the teeth 13 on a wedge 14 moves the wedge to the right as viewed in Fig. 3 until a semicircular flange 15 at the front of the wedge butts a shoulder 16 in the recess 7a. As the wedge 14 moves to the right, it slides downhill on a complementary incline 17 providing between the teeth 13 and the top wall 18 a free sliding clearance for the line 6.

When the line is to be used, the button 7 at the free end of the line is pulled out of the fixture 1 and is anchored in a keyhole slot 19 in the plate 4. As shown in Fig. 4, the backside of the plate is undercut at 20 to receive the flange 8 on the button. While the line is being withdrawn, the wedge 14 slides uphill on the incline 17 so the front part of the wedge overhangs the front end of the incline and projects forward of the shoulder 16. In this position, a horizontal pull on the line does not prevent sliding of the line but a downward force such as caused by a load quickly wedges or locks the line partly by further uphill sliding of the wedge on the incline 17 and partly by rocking of the wedge about point 21 due to the downward force on the overhanging front end of the wedge. Once locked, the line cannot be pulled further out of the fixture 1 by any load on the line. The front end of the wedge is countersunk to provide a groove ice 22 which centralizes the line in the wedge when in use. A slight inward push on the front end of the wedge will quickly unlock the line.

In theinsta llation the fixture 1 is installed by forming a hole in the selected wall between the studs so the extension 10 can project through the wall and the storage loop 11 can depend between the studs under the influence of the weight 12. The diameter of the hole needed to receive the portion 10 is substantially less than the outside diameter of the plate or flange 23 at the front of the fixture which is conveniently screwed to the wall. When so mounted, the flange 23 lies flat on the wall and the line is stored in the storage loop 11. After attaching the anchor plate 4, the line is ready for use but is stored out of the way when not in use.

What is claimed as new is:

l. A clothesline or the like comprising a fixture having a plate adapted to be secured on a wall having a hole therein between the studs and further having a rearward extension projecting through said hole in the wall, said plate and extension having an opening therein leading to the space behind the wall, a line having one end fixed to said extension behind the wall, and the other end extending out through said opening with the portion of the line adjacent said one end depending behind the Wall in the form of a storage loop, a weight slidable on the part of the line forming the loop for holding the loop under tension, a wedge under the line, said wedge having a generally horizontal top surface and an inclined bottom surface inclined upward toward the front of said fixture and having its front end projecting out the front end of said opening, a complementary incline in said fixture on which the wedge slides, the wedge being of a size to lock the line against the top of said opening when the wedge slides forward on said incline to a position in which a substantial fraction of the front part of the wedge overhangs the incline while the balance remains seated on the incline.

2. A clothesline or the like comprising a fixture having a plate adapted to be secured on a wall having a hole therein between the studs and further having a rearward extension projecting through said hole in the wall, said plate and extension having an opening therein leading to the space behind the wall, a line having one end fixed to said extension behind the wall and the other end slidably extending out through said opening with the portion of the line adjacent said one end depending behind the wall in the form of a storage loop, a weight slidable on the part of the line forming the loop for holding the loop under tension, locking means in contact with the line and responsive to combined forward and downward pressure exerted on the locking means by the line for locking the line in said opening and preventing further withdrawal of line from the storage loop, said locking means permitting free sliding of the line under forward pressure alone or under rearward pressure from the line with or without downward pressure from the line.

3. A clothes line or the like comprising a fixture having a plate adapted to be secured on a wall having a hole therein between the studs and further having a rear- 'ward extension projecting through said hole in the wall, said plate and extension having an opening therein leading to the space behind the wall, a line having one end fixed to said extension behind the wall and the other end free and extending out through said opening with the portion of the line adjacent said one end depending behind the wall in the form of a storage loop, a weight slidable on the portion of the line forming the loop for holding the loop under tension, locking means on the fixture movable between locking and released positions, the line being freely slidable in the released position whereby the desired length of line can be withdrawn from the storage References Cited in the file of this patent- UNITED STATES PATENTS Sykes July 4, 1905 Anderson Apr. 16, 1912 Begin et a1. Mar. 4, 19 41 Iugle June 30, 1942 Swanson Apr. 23, 1946 Pawlansky Sept. 6, 1949 Jennewein Sept. 27, 1949 

